The Royal Heir - The Valtoria Diaries 2

Mission accomplished, Agent Hot Stuff

Once Jen had slowly turned around to face her assailant, the world around her kept spinning. It wasn't at all due to her recognition of the face in front of her. It was entirely due to the fact that he had a gun pointed at her chest, and his finger was on the trigger.

Time stood still. Just long enough for her to see Rick ducking under an assassin's knife across the palace ballroom, then hear his frenzied yell of warning... I turn, and I see the masked man right in front of me... I hear an devastating burst of sound, and I'm on the ground, and so is Drake, and there's blood, so much blood, and I'm wondering if that's it... will I ever see Maxwell again?

And now I'm in the vault at Lythikos and I can hear Olivia screaming, really screaming, as Anton's finger lingers on the trigger, and what are probably my last ever thoughts are not comforting me.. how will Maxwell get through this?

But, oh god. Bella. No, no, no!!!! This can't happen now, not now that Bella needs me too! Why does it have to end like this?

She saw the man's lips move before she heard the words they spoke. "Are you okay?"

What?

What? Okay, what? This guy is pointing a gun at me, and he's asking me if I am okay? I.... I don't even know how to respond right now.

"Of course she's not okay!" Olivia shrieked. "You're holding her at gunpoint, you stupid oaf!"

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry." The man lowered his gun.

All of the tension and adrenaline that had been keeping Jen upright left her in an instant. She swooned involuntarily, and collapsed in the direction of the nearby corridor wall. Hana was soon by her side to support her.

"Oh, Jen," she sobbed, clearly as affected by the intensity of this situation as Jen was. "I'm sorry..."

Jen squeezed her hand in appreciation, then watched in amazement as Olivia lunged at the familiar looking man with one of her most lethal looking daggers. "What the hell, Jin? You do not get to do that to my friends!"

He'd somehow managed to evade the dagger's path, and it clattered to the floor. He pinned Olivia to the opposite wall, still holding his gun. "Are you fair game?"

"Aarghhh!" Now Hana launched herself angrily at their assailant, shocking him so much he dropped his gun. It skidded against the marble floor. Jen placed her foot firmly down on it, as Olivia produced another dagger from her boot.

She focussed in on her attacker. "I remember you. You were at Maxwell's book signing in Lythikos."

"You were Rick," Hana stated.

"Well remembered," the man said with a smirk. "It was quite the entertaining and informative evening, from what I recall."

"Wait..." She gasped in horror. "Did you set the press on us?"

He shook his head. "Not my style. I know exactly who did, though. But that's a story for another book signing, perhaps. Right now, I'm afraid you ladies are all coming with me."

"Says who?" Olivia growled, poking her dagger at his chest.

"Says me," Jin grinned. He then ducked down and swept his leg under Jen's, knocking the gun out from under her shoe, and grabbing it on his way back up. Now, once again, it was pointing at Olivia. "We both know you're not going to stab me, and I'm not going to shoot you. But your friends don't know that. Let's not make this too traumatic for them. They're scared, and out of their depth."

Jen was offended by this, and by the fact that Olivia seemed to be taken in by what Jin was saying. "Like hell we are," she shouted. "You can't expect us to just roll over."